The first time you see deer in your yard, you might think that this is great. However, when you see that your vegetable garden has been eaten and your shrubs have been decimated, you will start to wonder about keeping deer away from your home. Fortunately, there are a few steps that you can take which will help you keep your yard deer free.
Eliminate What Attracts The Deer
The first step in keeping deer away from your home is to remove anything that attracts them. If you have fruit trees or a vegetable garden, you need to harvest everything as soon as possible. Leaving vegetables and fruit on the plants will attract deer because they are able to see and smell something they want to eat.
Maintaining your garden is also important because you remove an incentive for deer to bed down. Areas that are densely planted will need to be trimmed so they are not appealing hiding spots. Deer like areas that provide them quick cover so they can get away from predators which means eliminating this will keep the deer away.
Move Deer Attracting Plants Closer To Your House
If you do not want to remove the plants that attract deer, you need to relocate them. In the spring, doe and fawns will be looking for food and they are going to target plants that are high in nutrients and protein. Vegetable plants and certain types of ivy are primary targets.
These plants should be moved closer to your home and kept in eyesight of the windows. Deer are less likely to eat plants that are close to a house regardless of how hungry they are.
Add Levels To Your Yard
You should look at adding different levels to your yard because deer do not like climbing steep slopes. Having a yard that appears hard to navigate will instantly deter deer and keep them away. Sunken beds, stacks of chopped wood and terraces will also stop deer from venturing too far into your yard.
When deer see these features, they will be nervous about climbing or jumping on them. This results in them looking for a different place to graze. Putting your potted plants on a deck can also deter deer as they will not want to climb the steps to reach them.
Let Your Dog Out
Allow your dog to spend a bit more time out in the yard. If your dog were to spot a deer, it is likely that it will bark and scare the deer away. If this happens often enough, deer will deem your yard as an unsafe place to graze and will stay away.
Have Plants That Repel Deer
Smell is a sense that deer heavily rely on and if something does not smell appealing, they will avoid it. Planting pungent herbs and plants around the plants that attract deer will help you repel them. Of course, it is important to note that not all deer are the same and some will not be repelled by the other plants.
